Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - Hilton Head Hospital’s Breast Health Center has been granted a three-year full re-accreditation designation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a program administered by the American College of Surgeons.   Hilton Head Hospital was first accredited by NAPBC in September 2011.

In addition, the Hilton Head Hospital Breast Health Center was identified as establishing a ‘best practice’ for its work relating to its Clinical Trial Information and this work will be included in the NAPBC Best Practice Repository.  This repository provides documents and other tools that breast centers may find useful in meeting NAPBC Standards.

Accreditation by the NAPBC is only given to those centers that have voluntarily committed to provide the highest level of quality breast care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance.  During the survey process, the center must demonstrate compliance with standards established by the NAPBC for treating women who are diagnosed with the full spectrum of breast disease.  The standards include proficiency in the areas of: center leadership, clinical management, research, community outreach, professional education, and quality improvement.  A breast center that achieves NAPBC accreditation has demonstrated a firm commitment to offer its patients every significant advantage in their battle against breast disease.

The NAPBC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to the improvement of the quality of care and monitoring of outcomes of patients with diseases of the breast.  This mission is pursued through standard-setting, scientific validation, and patient and professional education.  Its board membership includes professionals from 20 national organizations that reflect the full spectrum of breast care. 

The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimated that there would be 232,340 patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in the United States in 2013¹. In addition, hundreds of thousands of women who will deal with benign breast disease this year will require medical evaluation for treatment options.

Receiving care at a NAPBC-accredited center ensures that a patient will have access to:

• Comprehensive care, including a full range of state-of-the-art services
• A multidisciplinary team approach to coordinate the best treatment options
• Information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options

And, most importantly,

• Quality breast care close to home.

For more information about the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, visit their Web site at www.accreditedbreastcenters.org.

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1.  American Cancer Society Cancer Facts & Figures 2013. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2013.